We’ve continued to experience difficulty with mail arriving in a timely manner or arriving at all! You may e-mail your letter directly to Cara Murray, who will distribute them to the children.

Subject Line: To <your child’s name>

Please plan to e-mail your child no more than 3 to 6 times per year (up to twice per school term)

School terms are approximately Feb-April; June-August; October-November

Cara will add stickers & gum to your note, tuck it in an envelope and give it to your child.

Address to write to your child:

Remember the Poor

PO Box 1013

Lynden, WA 98264

You may wish to include any of the following items in your letters to your sponsored children:

Stick of gum

Photos of yourself, your family or scenery

Stickers

Balloons

Bookmarks

Inexpensive small chains/necklaces (with crosses)

FAQ’s

What is the cost to sponsor a child?$42/month or $504/yr

How do I make a donation?

Please visit our donation page to read about donation options and to view the mailing address.

How is the money used?

100% of the child sponsorship money received by Remember the Poor goes to Uganda to care for the needs of the orphans who attend the Nkumba Christian elementary and high schools. None of the sponsorship money is used for administrative costs. Sponsorship includes room and board at the school, a school uniform & shoes, medical care and a Christian education.

Why does the Nkumba sponsorship program cost more than other sponsorship programs?

About 1200 students attend the Nkumba schools. Of those that attend, about 600 are orphaned. Those orphans do not have the ability to pay any school fees. Currently, a total of about 250 students are sponsored, 153 through Remember the Poor. The school leadership has opted to continue to take in orphans and stretch the sponsorship dollars to be able to feed other children as well. A portion of the $42 monthly fee goes into the school’s food program, and other children are fed as well.

How am I matched with a child?

To sponsor a child, simply let us know, and you’ll be matched with the first child waiting, or if you have a specific request regarding age or gender, please note that on the sponsorship request form. You will then receive an e-mail confirmation of the child with whom you have been matched as well as a bookmark with the child’s photo, birth-date (if available) and details about their life.

Who is an orphan?

UNICEF and global partners define an orphan as a child who has lost one or both parents. By this definition there were over 132 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean in 2005. Although the loss of one parent in western countries may not be financially devastating, it can be, and usually is, financially devastating in developing and two-thirds world countries like Uganda.

Can the cycle of poverty & death that creates orphans be ended?

YES! These children in the Nkumba schools are receiving a Christian education. They are taught what the Bible teaches-about celibacy before marriage, monogamy within marriage, and Christian responsibility in caring for families. AIDS (and therefore children who are orphaned by AIDS) will be significantly reduced as celibacy and monogamy are practiced. As young men and women are trained to be productive workers who care for their families, children will not be abandoned or orphaned.

What type of communication is possible?

You are welcome to write your child as often as you would like! Your child will write back once or twice per year.

May I send packages or gifts to my sponsored child?

We have found that packages have, at best, a 50% chance of making it to their intended destination in Uganda. Because poverty is high, theft is also high, and packages with nice things are often just stolen during the delivery process.

Additionally, the money spent on shipping packages to Uganda is so much, that the Nkumba leadership has discouraged doing this. With the money we would spend on shipping, they could buy a whole set of clothes and/or a pair of shoes for your child.

We recognize many sponsors’ desire to give a tangible gift, but with the distance between here and Uganda, we haven’t found a great way to do that yet.

And finally, we agree with the leadership in Nkumba, that they are the ones best able to distribute (evenly and fairly) gifts to the children. We do not wish children who don’t get gifts to feel sad or neglected.